Visiting Padfoot
by Padsy'n'Prongsie
Summary: After Constant Vigilance!, Skylar is left alone, with her two children Nick and Kate. However, she is permitted to visit Sirius in Azkaban just once a year. This is a collection of these visits, from the year Lily and James died to the year Sirius escaped. ONE OF THE SEQUELS TO CONSTANT VIGILANCE
1. 1981

**Skylar POV**

_**November 1st, 1981**_

My mind was still reeling from the fact that Lily, James and Harry were dead. Add that to the information that Sirius had been arrested, and you had a completely destroyed woman who'd been left to deal with the aftermath of the horror of Hallowe'en.

I had fallen asleep, crying, the previous night, holding Kate and Nick, both of whom were really too young to understand what was happening.

All that we knew now was that Peter had betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort and Sirius had killed him.

What we didn't know, however, was how the thirteen dead muggles factored into the equation.

I was startled by a loud banging noise on the door. I slowly got up, walked down the stairs and looked through the peephole.

It was Remus.

Sighing, I opened the door and let him in. He looked wild, like he was ready to kill someone.

"WHERE'S SIRIUS?" he roared.

"Remus, what do you mean, where's Sirius?" I asked, confused.

"DON'T YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? WHAT YOUR HUSBAND - wow, you look like a mess, what's wrong?" he asked, finally noticing my disheveled appearance.

I could understand where Remus was coming from - if Sirius hadn't already gotten his hands on Peter, I would've killed him myself.

But he didn't know who the real Secret Keeper had been.

"Come inside, Remus. We've got a long conversation ahead of us."

Half an hour later, Remus looked dumbfounded. "And there I was, so convinced that Sirius was the traitor."

I laughed derisively. "Funny you should say that - he usually said the same thing about you."

Remus opened his mouth, then nodded. "I guess I could understand what might've made him draw that conclusion."

I sighed. "I don't know what to do. I mean, Peter's dead, so there's no proof..."

"You could tell Dumbledore, or your uncle," Remus offered.

I shook my head. "Sirius sent me a Patronus before he was captured: he doesn't want anyone to know the truth, he wants us to be quiet about it, for our safety."

"That does sound like him. What about Dumbledore?"

I shook my head. "James, Lily and Harry are dead. There's no proof that Sirius is innocent."

"But Harry's not dead," Remus said, confused.

"What?" I said, gasping.

"I know, I was surprised myself. But apparently when Voldemort tried to kill him, the curse rebounded and... Sky, he's gone. Voldemort is dead."

"That's... oh, my god. I can't believe this... and Harry's really alive?" I said, my heart beating faster.

"Yes, but before you ask... no, you can't adopt him. For some reason, Dumbledore has moved Harry to the Dursleys."

Before I could open my mouth, he said, "I know that's not what Lily would've wanted for him, but... you're hardly in a position to protest about it, the Ministry's going to be doing a full investigation, you're not quite safe yet."

I sighed. "But I can still see Sirius... right?"

"By law, the spouse of any convicted criminal can visit him or her in Azkaban once a year... so yes, you can."

"Then I'll do it today," I said resolutely. "This can't wait any longer."

A few hours later, I was in a self steered boat to Azkaban. What no one knew was exactly how dangerous this was for me: with the level my power had developed to, I would feel the dementors thoughts - and I would be terrified out of my mind.

I would have to be touching Sirius in order to overcome that.

When I reached the island, I shivered, trying as best as I could to block out all of the dementors thoughts, only to realise...

They fed on happy memories. So the only thoughts they had were... happy ones. They followed me as I searched for Sirius' cell.

I found the number on Sirius' cell. I took a deep breath and walked towards it. I then said a word which I couldn't remember after I'd said it, to open the doors. The doors would close themselves after I entered.

I walked inside and said shakily, "Sirius?"

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms were wrapped around my waist. I felt tears on my neck. Turning around, I saw Sirius, who was sobbing his heart out.

We both sat down against the wall of his cell. I held him as he cried.

"Do you think it was me, Sky?" I heard him say with the most vulnerability I'd ever seen from him.

"No," I said firmly. "It was that rat, Peter Pettigrew."

"No one believes me except for you," he whispered sadly.

I shook my head. "Remus came home this morning, shouting his head off. I made him sit down and I told him the entire thing."

"And he believed you?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yeah, actually," I said calmly.

Sirius sighed. "You know what you have to do, right?"

"...No...?"

"You have to take your maiden name back," he said firmly.

"It's too late, the Ministry's already pursuing an investigation against me," I said.

"At least change Nick and Kate's!" he begged.

"I know you told me to... but I'll ask again: are you absolutely sure you're okay with that?" I asked dubiously.

He sighed. "Yeah. It's the only way they'd be able to live a normal life."

"Nick might be able to get away with it, but Kate...?"

"She looks just like you, Sky," he said quietly. "No one would ever notice..."

"She has your smile, though," I said, managing one myself.

"Yeah?" he said, smiling.

Then the brief moment of happiness passed. The dementors put their heads eagerly into the cell and the smiles left our faces.

"Lily and James are dead, Sky, and it's all my fault. If only I'd listened to you..."

"I let you go through with this plan, it's mine too," I said morosely.

The cell made a shuddering sound. "What was that?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"It's a sound that means I have five minutes left."

Sirius put his arms around me and I closed my eyes.

"Take care of Nick and Kate. Don't tell anyone about this - Remus is fine, but you can't tell anyone the truth."

"Why not?" I asked.

"No one would believe it," he said simply.

The cell shuddered, physically this time. "We don't have much time left, so listen to me carefully: you are still in danger. Voldemort may be gone, but his most loyal death eaters still remain. If I know Bellatrix, she'll be coming after you soon."

I nodded. "I've been expecting that."

He nodded.

"Sirius?" I asked hesitantly. "What about Peter, and those muggles?"

"Peter's dead," he said shortly. "When I confronted him, he killed those muggles, making it look like it was me, then killed himself."

I sighed. "This was the kid who once thought cheese was sexy?"

Sirius growled. "Apparently."

I stood up. "I have to go," I said sadly.

Sirius scrambled up as well. "Will you be back?" he asked desperately.

"Once a year," I said. I wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me back.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I said, kissing him.

The door opened. "I have to go now, otherwise the doors will close and I'll be trapped in here with you."

"Would that be so bad?" he asked half heartedly.

I sighed, whispered, "I love you. Take care, okay?"

He nodded. As I left, my heart ached to think that he would be in that cell... forever.


	2. 1982

**Skylar POV**

_**October 31st, 1982**_

"Nick! Hurry up, I've got to drop you and Kate off at Molly's before I go see dad!"

Nick rushed down the stairs, wearing what resembled a clown hat. He had done his makeup all by himself. I had to hide my laughter.

"Nick, what are you _wearing_?"

"Mum, it's Halloween today!" Nick said happily.

Kate, who was standing next to me, said, "Yeah, but I'm not wearing a lame costume!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Mum!" Nick complained.

"Settle down, you two," I grinned, "or I'll set Uncle Remus on you."

The kids immediately shut up.

I smiled despite myself. They both knew what Remus was (for safety purposes) and while they were not prejudiced against him, they both had the kind of fear that children have when they _enjoy _being scared silly.

I was dropping the kids off at the Weasley's, since they weren't allowed to come to Azkaban.

Molly Weasley's brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, had been in the Order. In fact, they had been killed on the same day as Diana had. Trying not to think too much about our friends who had been killed, I left. Thinking about them too much would make me too sad, and I didn't want to go to Azkaban looking like that. Sirius would be suffering enough there without worrying about me too.

Molly was one of the few people who knew who I really was, and didn't think any the less of me for it, as she believed that I didn't know what was happening until it happened. She was also really good at giving sympathy when I needed it. I would have preferred for her to know the truth, but I didn't think that it would be wise for me to tell anyone now, especially since Sirius had also told me not to.

She would look after Nick and Kate for me when I had training. The kids loved spending time at the Weasleys, especially the twins (Fred and George). They were a year younger than Nick, who was five, but he was already good friends with them. I suspected that this had something to do with the fact that all of them were prank lovers. Well, with Sirius as his father, I shouldn't really have expected anything else from Nick.

Remembering Sirius, I quickly dropped the two off at Molly's, sampled her lunch, which was excellent, as it always was, then headed off to the Ministry.

At the Ministry, I signed my name in the register they kept for policing the people coming and going to Azkaban, grabbed an admit card, then left.

And then, for the second time, I found myself on my way to Azkaban.

When I entered Sirius' cell, I was shocked at how destroyed he looked. He had lost a lot of weight and his eyes looked haunted, his hair scraggly and unkempt. It was difficult for me to not show my shock or despair.

"And you should have seen Nick's 'makeup'. He really looked like a clown." I said, trying to be cheerful. I was telling him all about how the kids were growing, and all their funny antics. It was hard, when I remembered that he should have been at home, seeing it for himself.

He laughed, but it seemed a little forced. I guess that he was thinking along the same lines, too.

"Remus lost another job recently. I'm a bit worried for him. Since he's a werewolf, no one will employ him."

He frowned. "You could do with a little help looking after the kids and all, couldn't you?"

I blinked, confused by the question. "I...I guess so."

He nodded. "Then why don't you ask Remus to stay in our house? It's certainly big enough, and it would help both of you."

I bit my lip. "I don't know... Not that it wouldn't be nice to have him over, but he might not agree to it."

"Tell him that I suggested it, and that it will be helpful for you too." he said.

"He may agree, but he'll still be afraid of hurting someone during full moon. And having two curious young kids in the house will make him even more reluctant."

He thought for a moment before saying, "During full moon, try letting him loose in those woods we used over the summer, when he stayed with the Potters'. It worked really well back then. Plus, he won't be able to get out till he's human, since it's fenced, with a lock that only human hands can touch - it's pure silver, and we charmed it the last time we went."

I nodded slowly. "It does make sense... and you're really okay with it?"

Sirius forced a smile. "I wish I could be there with Nick and Kate... but since that's not possible, I can't think of anyone better than Remus."

I smiled ruefully. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

Sirius stared at me for a moment, before barking with laughter. "Things always go wrong on my birthday, don't they?"

I sighed. "Yeah, ever since I came into your life, they have."

He shook his head, "Never say that. You know that none of this is your fault!"

We sat silently for a few seconds.

"So... how's Harry?" Sirius asked tentatively.

"I wouldn't know," I said sadly. "I'm pretty sure he's freaking miserable. I would be too, if I was stuck with the Dursleys. Have you heard half the stories Lily told me about them?"

He grimaced. "Poor Harry. I wish we could have taken him in. But everything's gone now, thanks to that bloody traitor." he said bitterly.

I couldn't think of anything to say to that.

Just then, the cell rattled, indicating that my time was up. Sighing, I got up.

"I don't want to leave," I said quietly.

"And I don't want you to. But the kids..." Sirius trailed off.

"Are at Molly's, waiting to hear how you are," I finished sadly.

He looked down. "Tell them how much I miss them. Don't... don't tell them about how bad I look."

"You don't lo-"

"I do, and I know it." he interrupted.

I took a deep breath. "Not to me, you don't."

"I love you too," he said, smiling.

I tried to smile back, but I think it came out as a grimace.

"I'll see you next year." I said, trying not to show him how much it hurt to leave him.

_I know... You don't need to say anything._

As I left, I realized that how much ever it hurt for me to leave, it was a thousand times worse for him. After all, I was the only source of human contact he'd be getting for as long as he lived.


	3. 1983

**Skylar POV**

_**August 9th, 1983**_

Today was my birthday, and I'd chosen to spend it with Sirius this time around. I knew the kids had some kind of surprise planned, from what I gathered from their memories, but I decided to play ignorant and let them have their fun.

Nick pouted. "Why can't we stay here with Uncle Remy?"

Tonight was the full moon, and he was staying away from the kids, just in case he ended up snapping at them. He was currently sleeping in his room. At around 4, I would apparate him to the fenced area off the Potter property, which James had inherited when his parents passed away in 1980, and was now Harry's.

"Tonight's the full moon, sweetheart."

Nick's eyes widened with realisation. "Oh, okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "Nick? What's going on?"

Nick looked around. Seeing that Kate was still in the bathroom, he whispered, "Percy scares me."

I laughed. "Does he, now?"

"He always wants me to follow the rules! And when I don't, he sneaks on me to Mrs. Weasley!"

I shook my head, grinning. "When I was at school, I knew someone like Percy, too."

"Really? What happened to him?" Nick asked interestedly.

"Her, Nick, and she..." I trailed off, realising who I'd been talking about. I took a deep breath. "She married one of my best friends and they had a beautiful baby boy together."

Before Nick could question me further, Kate had finally come down. "Mommy? Could you give this to Daddy?" She handed me a folded piece of paper.

I smiled at her. "Sure, dear." Kate smiled, then hugged my knees (she couldn't reach any higher).

"I miss daddy. When is he coming back?" she asked, pouting up at me.

I sighed. "I know honey, I miss him too." I couldn't tell her that he wouldn't be coming back, so I just kissed her forehead and led her to the car, where Nick was sitting, bouncing on his seat. No doubt, he was already planning the mischief he would do.

Once again, I dropped them off at Molly's ("Some rhubarb pie, dear?") before making my dreary trip to Azkaban.

When I reached Sirius' cell and stepped in, he took my hand and pulled me into a hug. "Happy Birthday Sky." he said, only the faintest hint of sorrow in his voice. I wouldn't have recognised it if I didn't know him so well.

When he let me go, I stepped back and took a good look at him. He had become even thinner, and his cheeks were hollow.

I shivered. "I'm scared, Sirius," I said, not able to stop myself.

"Of what?" he asked. His voice had also become hoarser since the last time I'd seen him.

"I'm scared that the next time I see you, you might be... mad-" I choked out the word, "-or... worse! After all, there are so many people who go mad in Azkaban. And I can't stand it if anything happens to you."

He took my hand, trying to soothe me.

"Hey, don't worry about that. I won't go mad. The Dementors feed on only happy thoughts. And though I have happy thoughts for them to take, I also have one thought which keeps me sane. It's not really a happy one, but it's enough. So, don't worry."

"What is that?"

"I'm innocent. They can't take that thought from me."

I smiled wryly.

"So, what are you doing for your birthday?"

"I'm spending it here, with you," I said, trying to be cheerful.

He rolled his eyes, but gave a small smile.

"Okay, then what are Nick and Kate doing for your birthday?"

"Well, I know they're planning something, but its supposed to be a surprise, so, I'm not completely sure. I tried to tune out their thoughts... but they're both too cuddly."

He barked a laugh. "Speaking of which... Is Kate like you?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing that I've noticed yet. I guess it will set in only later. After all, mine did only when I was around five."

He nodded gravely. "That would be interesting to see...especially after what Dumbledore mentioned."

I nodded, wondering how it would be. I really hoped that Dumbledore had been right and that Kate didn't have to go through what I had.

"That reminds me... Kate gave me something for you." I held out the crayon drawing she'd made. It was a picture of our family, standing together in a sunny meadow. I knew Sirius wouldn't be able to keep it, in Azkaban, but I wanted him to see it anyway.

He looked down on the drawing, smiling at the way she'd drawn us, figures with giant bulbous heads and scrawny, stick- like bodies. It was adorable.

"How are they? Nick is six, and Kate's four now, right?"

I smiled, "Yes. I left them at the Weasley's. Nick seems to get on really well with Fred and George. They're almost exactly like you and James were - complete pranksters. Are you happy that your son is following in your footsteps?"

He grinned, looking a bit more like his old self. "Of course. And what about Kate?"

I sighed. "She misses you, and wants you to come home."

He sighed. Holding my hand, he showed me exactly how heartbroken he was that he couldn't grant his daughter that one wish.

I felt tears pricking my eyelids. Blinking them back, I took a deep breath and said, "Oh, and by the way, Remus is living with us now."

"Oh," he said, his tone slightly guarded. "He is?"

I nodded. "Yes, but of course, he was really reluctant in the beginning. But he soon accepted it. It's kind of tough to refuse anything when Kate and Nick are holding on to your legs, looking up at you and making puppy eyes. I think they got that also from you."

"Are you sure it's just me they got it from?" he teased.

We both laughed, and the dementors outside paused and turned towards us. The air immediately became much colder.

"Will I ever get to see them again?" he asked morosely.

"I'll bring a photo next time... And maybe I'll have one of them visit you instead of me when they are of age."

He sighed. "We'll see, then. It really hurts that I have to miss them growing up, though."

I couldn't say anything. He was right, it really was horrible. I hoped that Wormtail was suffering in hell, for all the pain he had, and still was causing us.

When it was time to go, I kissed him gently, and for a minute, it felt like nothing had changed. Then I felt a wave of despair, and the cell became colder, and I knew that things could never go back to normal.


	4. 1984

**Skylar POV**

_**July 26, 1984**_

It was a week before Kate's fifth birthday. I would be visiting Sirius today, then going to get her a gift. The kids were with Remus at home.

When I entered the cell in Azkaban, Sirius was asleep, a troubled look on his face. I was relieved, and upset, to see that he looked the same as last time. On one hand, this meant that he was not worse, on the other, it meant that he was not getting any better either.

He woke up when I came closer, and got up.

"No, sit down, Sirius," I said.

He sat down, but I could see that the movement seemed to hurt him. I bent down and kissed him, before sitting down opposite him.

"What happened to you?" I asked, trying not to let him show how shaken I was.

"Nothing, the usual. You know, with Dementors around, it's not strange that a person would contemplate escaping, or even suicide, just to escape." he said heavily.

I was shocked. "Sirius, you can't- you just can't kill yourself."

"Don't worry, I won't."

My thought were flying wildly as I tried to think of something to say to distract him from such thoughts.

"Next week is Kate's birthday," he said suddenly.

I looked at him and nodded.

"And soon after that is yours," he said. "That reminds me. What surprise did they give you last year?"

"Uh, well, when I got back to the Weasley's to pick them up, I found this beautiful giant talking card... like a howler, but nicer," I said, smiling at the memory.

"Isn't that what I did for you on your 17th?" Sirius said, grinning.

"You just want the credit for that amazing idea," I teased.

He stuck his tongue out. "Well, they're my kids, so technically, I do get the credit for it."

I was reminded of a life before October 31st, 1981.

Then the dementors approached, and it was Azkaban again.

"Kate will be five this year, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but she already has my power. Yesterday, when I picked her up, I could see that she could see my thoughts, but it was really weak. Maybe this is what Dumbledore was talking about?"

He shook his head, "I don't think so. Can she control it?"

I frowned. "I dunno."

"Maybe she can't control it yet because she's too young. That's also probably why it's so weak," he said rationally.

I sighed, nodding. "I really, really hope you're right."

"What's Nick been up to?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, Nick..." I trailed off, grinning. "He's creating as much trouble as he possibly can."

Sirius smiled. "And he's getting away with it?"

I shook my head disbelievingly. "It's like he picked up your ways before... you know. He just needs to smile, wink or compliment someone and they're putty in his hands."

Sirius nodded knowingly. "Ah, yes, I understand what you mean."

It was quiet for a few minutes. I was resting my head against his chest and he had his arms cradled around me.

"So how's Remus doing?" he asked suddenly.

"He's fine, the kids love him," I said, smiling slightly.

He nodded, sighing. "That's good. And the werewolf thing?"

"It's fine. Well, as fine as turning into a great hairy wolf each month can be," I said.

I decided not to mention the obvious jealousy he felt at his best friend raising his children instead of him.

I then remembered something I'd wanted to ask him. "Since Kate has her powers, now... I came up with an idea."

"Yeah?" Sirius asked, eyebrow raised.

"I want you to give her a message," I said simply.

"A message? Like what?"

"I want you to tell her something. I'll remember it, then let her see," I said hopefully.

Sirius smiled. "That's perfect, Sky."

He continued stroking my hair. "Okay, so what about jobs? How is it going with that?"

"I'm completing Auror training next month," I said. "They're giving me a job straight out of training."

"You're doing that well, huh?" Sirius said, smiling down at me. "I remember that out of our class, James and I were the only ones to get immediate offers."

"Oh, you definitely remember that," I said, rolling my eyes.

"It's something to be proud of!" he protested defensively.

"We only have fifteen minutes left," I said quietly.

He nodded. "Okay, I'll do it now."

Taking a deep breath, he began. "Hey, Kate, it's me, your dad," he said, a brief smile gracing his features.

"I know mommy told you that I miss you, but I wanted to tell you myself: I miss you so much, Kate. I miss Nick too. I feel horrible that I had to leave you. Believe me, I didn't want to..." he sighed.

"But I did, and I..." he sighed frustratedly.

"Anyways... happy birthday, Kate. You have no idea how much your mommy and I love you. I want you to be good to her and Uncle Remus. Make sure Nick takes care of the both of you. I love you so much, honey."

There was so much love and ache in his voice that it made me want to cry

He nodded at me. I smiled sadly. "She'll see it, don't worry."

The shuddering began. "I have nightmares about this moment, you know." I said quietly. "Usually it involves me leaving, then you being dragged away by dementors."

He shuddered. "So do I. I hate it when you have to leave."

"I love you, Sirius," I said, beginning to cry.

"I love you too, please don't cry, that makes it worse," he said brokenly.

"We'll never get past this horrible feeling, will we?" I asked rhetorically.

"I don't think so," he said wryly.

And as I left, I couldn't see how this would ever get any easier: going back home to my wonderful family, leaving Sirius here in Azkaban in complete fear.

**As/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. We've had a really busy day, but we still wanted to get something out to you guys.**

**Tomorrow's will be longer, swear =P**


	5. Authors' Note Please Read

**As/N: Hey, we're taking a break from this story for now, because our SEQUEL to Constant Vigilance is NOW UP!**

**Here's the link: **www(dot) /s/8186025/1/Constant_Vigilance_The_Sequel

**Enjoy! Don't worry, we'll be back here in a week.**


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